Garein heard the sound of shattering bone. Unparalleled force transferred from his chin through his body, lifting his massive frame off the ground and sending him flying toward the domed ceiling, leaving a long trail of blood and shredded flesh in the air.
Wind gathered beneath Erich's feet. The invisible currents supported his body and carried him into midair, chasing after the flying figure. Just as Garein reached the peak of his ascent and was about to fall, Erich drove his fist into Garein's chest once more, forcefully arresting his downward momentum and launching him upward again.
Garein let out a hoarse roar, only for Erich's fist to stuff it right back down his throat.
Wind magic detonated behind Erich again and again. His fists blurred into afterimages, and heavy, booming impacts echoed through the empty hall in rapid succession, with barely any pause between them. He could no longer tell if he was swinging his fists or if his fists were pulling him along. His body was a primed artillery shell, and Garein was the target. He had only one thing to do: upward, and further upward.
Entangled, the two of them spiraled into the air, moving further and further from the ground.
The domed ceiling was ridiculously high, high enough to make one doubt if this tower was truly built underground. Yet, Garein still crashed into it. The masonry of the ceiling shattered under his immense weight, exposing the grayish-yellow bedrock beneath.
Erich pursued the figure embedded in the bedrock. Punch after punch after punch, each strike boosted by wind magic, nailing Garein deeper into the rock. Garein's figure slowly sank into the stone and soil until only half of his shoulder remained exposed.
Not a single patch of intact flesh could be found on Garein's body. His struggles grew weaker and weaker, until only the faint soulfire burning in his eyes proved he was still alive.
Suddenly, a shockwave erupted.
Erich was blown back by the shockwave, landing hastily on the ground. He casually brushed the dust from his clothes, though his outfit was already no different from rags.
Garein's deathbed struggle amounted to only this much. He couldn't even drag himself out of the bedrock, and only a final sound—whether a curse or a plea, it was impossible to tell—escaped from him.
It was time to end this. Erich reached out toward a spot nearby.
The black, serpentine staff flew into his hand. A cold sensation spread from his palm, and mana flowed down his arm, pouring into the staff before spreading throughout the entire hall. Metals that had lain silent for countless years began to vibrate simultaneously.
Candelabras, lamp stands, copper ornaments embedded in the walls, and shattered fragments scattered across the floor all broke free from their original positions and converged in front of him. They reshaped themselves in midair, molten copper flowing on its own between the forces of gravity and mana, gradually condensing into an elongated, dark-red droplet.
At the same time, two silver-white lines of light materialized out of thin air in front of Erich.
Beginning from Erich, the lines of light stretched straight forward, pointing toward Garein inside the crack in the domed ceiling. The two lines were parallel to each other, maintaining a constant distance. As mana was continuously poured in, the silver-white gradually shifted to a pale teal, their edges casting a blurry purple halo. Tiny currents of electricity leaked from the lines, carving scorched, thin patterns across the hall's floor.
His robes billowed and fluttered in the surging mana. Guided by the magical force, the dark-red projectile slowly floated up and settled between the two lines of light. Magnetic field lines converged from all directions, and an invisible force held the projectile steady, pushing it bit by bit into the optimal contact position.
The bullet was chambered. Only one final step remained.
Erich sensed every stream of mana flow. Under his will, lightning completed the circuit within the rails, and the dark-red projectile shot forward.
For a brief moment, the entire space seemed vacuumed of air. After that split second of silence came a deafening roar. The entire dungeon shook, and the tower trembled violently. Carrying unimaginable kinetic energy, the projectile tore through Garein's body with virtually zero resistance.
But Garein was not enough to stop it. It pierced through the bedrock behind him, its remaining force undiminished as it shot toward even greater heights.
Like an arrow shot toward the sun, it forged ahead with endless, unyielding resolve, never to stop.
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